On Camera
by AtelophobiaAchluophilia
Summary: Harry is a college student without a job and low on cash. Porn pays, but he didn't expect to be so emotionally involved with his film partner. Seriously, he should have known better.
1. Chapter 1

My stomach twisted in knots for the umpteenth time that morning, the tendrils of nervousness clenching around the would-be butterflies. I stood outside the porn studio, a seemingly unsuspicious looking two story brick building, willing myself to walk forward. Every time I tried to pry my foot from the pavement I lost the courage to move. Several people passed me. I must have looked crazy standing there staring at the door like an idiot. I took a deep breath, then two, then three. Still, I didn't budge. It was 11 o'clock. If I left now, I could still make it back to the dorms before the lunch hour was up. I could hide in my room and spend the day watching movies with Ron, my roommate, and not worrying about what I was just about to do. I kept staring. I had to do it. I needed the money. I needed to be able to pay for tuition and my dorm and gas and groceries. A tall, dark haired man walked up to the door of the studio and entered without a backward glance. I needed to move. In or away, at this point it really didn't matter. I took a step forward. Then another. Then another. Each one felt like a mile, but before it, I was pulling the handle on the door and walking inside.

"Ah, you must be Mr. Potter!" someone said as I entered. I looked over to the reception desk to see a short, stocky man with coke-bottle glasses, smiling at me. "We've been waiting for you. I'm so glad you could make it today. Now that you're here we can talk about what to expect as this is your first time shooting with us."

The man moved to greet me, shaking my hand and gesturing for me to follow him. I tried to breath normally as I was led down a short hall to a small room with closed blinds. The man cleared his throat as I took a seat in one of the plastic folding chairs at the long wooden table. Scenarios raced through my mind, filling the silence of the room. What was I doing? I wondered. The man began to speak formally.

"Now as you will have read, we only film safe sex between our employees; meaning we have a medical notice from their personal doctors about any issues they might have that could affect their partner. You are free to look both of them over, as is your partner on every occasion. They are regularly updated to prevent the risk of disease. We do not allow penetration without a condom. If you become uncomfortable at any time, just use your safe word and we will pause the recording. If you consider yourself unable to continue, you will not be given the full pay amount, but you will receive $20 for your troubles. Is all of that understood, Mr. Potter?"

I nodded my head. It seemed like a pretty good deal, if only it didn't involve me getting naked and fucked in front of people with cameras. I didn't know what else to do though! I needed to pay for next semester's tuition and I didn't have a steady job. And who would watch it anyways? Certainly not anyone I knew personally. I hoped. I took several breaths to steady myself.

"Do you have any questions?"

"For the… um, the actual film footage… what… exactly are you looking for?" I asked, my voice sounding timid to my own ears.

He smiled reassuringly at me. "We are unique in our requirements. We believe that if you let sex happen naturally, the content is a more pleasurable experience for our viewers."

I stilled. "So you're saying that… I'm basically just hooking up with this guy in front of a camera. I don't have to do anything but have sex with him? I don't have to act?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, Mr. Potter. Most of our employees actually enjoy themselves because of how little pressure there is to 'act' like they're enjoying themselves. It works very well and creates a friendlier environment."

I thought for a moment. That didn't sound so bad. I had never hooked up with a stranger before, but it didn't seem that difficult. "Okay," I said, mostly to myself.

He beamed. "Good! Let's get you set up!"

I sighed at the hustle and bustle around me. The studio was always like that, teeming with people and camera crews, each with their own agendas. I had loved it once. It had filled my soul with life, gave me a purpose. Lately, the job had begun to wear on me. Every man's face blended with the last, none of them distinguished or memorable. I was bored. Bored with them, bored with myself, bored with every offer or request me agent sent me. _Maybe I need a vacation, somewhere sunny with a beach where I could lay out in the warmth and just be._

"Draco!" my manager called from the other end of the room from where I had been watching everyone move about. He crossed the room with his usual elegance and came to stand beside me. He was tall and thin, with dark hair and a handsome face. "Looks like your appointment decided to show up."

I glanced to the doorway where a young man was being led in. He was shorter than me, and he had thick, unkempt black hair. He looked nervous, shuffling from foot to foot. _First time_ , I thought. I felt a spark of something in my chest as the man got closer. I payed no attention to the receptionist who was with him. My manager made a noise that I had come to know meant he was unimpressed by what he saw. I had been on the receiving end of that throaty little cluck on several occasions. This time it was followed by a large show of brilliant white and perfect teeth.

"Hello, Mr. Potter, so glad you decided to make it."

The man- Potter- bowed his head and muttered, "Hello…"

I thrust out his hand and said, "Hello, _Potter._ " I stressed the word. "I'm Draco Malfoy. I'll be your partner for today."

Harry grasped my hand and looked up. When our eyes met, I felt as though I had been shocked. His eyes were startling green, deep and enormous, and displaying more emotion than I had ever seen. _Shy. Nervous. Uncertain. Bashful. Bold. Brave._ I blinked and smiled at him. Potter smiled back.

"Please, call me Harry."

 _Harry… Harry Potter…_ I decided I liked his name. "And you can call me Draco."

Harry nodded and then returned his gaze to the floor.

"Well," my manager said, clapping his hands together and looking at us both. "Shall we get started then?" 


	2. Chapter 2

Draco looked completely at ease. Bored, even. The air around him was different somehow, more sophisticated, and he looked well off in his royal blue dress shirt and charcoal colored, perfectly tailored pants. It surprised me a little. I had expected my "partner" to be more like me; a struggling student taking time between classes and 2 jobs to star in porn for the extra cash. I looked down at myself and tugged on my ragged t-shirt self-consciously. My jeans had holes in the knees and were stressed in several places naturally. They were old and worn, but they were my favorite and I had wanted to be comfortable. Now I felt a little foolish. The man I could only assume was Draco's manager had practically sneered at me when I had walked over and now I understood why. I'm sure he was used to working with people of a different status than me. Draco himself seemed nice enough, but he made me more than a little uncomfortable with his oozing sex appeal and self-confidence. When our eyes had meet earlier he had looked… taken aback. Surprised. It was odd, and I hoped it wasn't anything I'd done.

"So," Draco said, "What kind of stuff are you into? I like to trade that kind of information so we can make this experience as pleasant as possible for each other."

I blushed and looked down at the floor. "Um, well… I'm not really into anything in particular I guess. Whatever is okay with me as long as it's not super hardcore or anything," I mumbled.

He nodded. "Okay. It's pretty much the same for me. What about smaller things, like your opinion on giving or receiving head or things like that?"

"I'm…. not adverse to either."

"Nipple play?"

My cock twitched in my pants a little at the thought of that. I had found that my nipples were extremely sensitive and I often played with them while masturbating. Not trusting myself to talk, I nodded my head. We ran through a few more scenarios and ideas while the studio was set up and they decided we were good to go. I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans as I entered the room behind Draco. It was a private room used for filming and had noise barriers and soundproof walls to encourage us to be "as loud as necessary". There were small cameras mounted on the walls and one set up in the corner. Draco smiled at me reassuringly and opened his arms to me. I walked into his waiting embrace and rested my head on his shoulder as he closed his arms around my waist. It wasn't a hug exactly, but it was comfortable. Draco turned his head so he could whisper in my ear without the detection of the cameras.

"Ready?"

"Yes," I whispered back.

My voice sounded shaky to my own ears and he responded by saying, "just tell me if we need to stop, okay?"

With that Draco pulled back slightly and gazed into my eyes. I relaxed slightly. I trusted him not to hurt me, even if this entire situation was uncomfortable. He leaned his face down and I took a breath and closed my eyes. His lips were electric, soft and warm on mine and I gasped at the contact. He took the opportunity to slither his tongue into my mouth and tangle it with my own. His hand moved from my waist to the small of my back and he pushed me against him, rubbing his hand in a circular motion sending shivers up and down my spine. He pulled his lips back slightly, still sucking on my tongue so the kiss was transformed into a sloppy, open-mouthed probe. I hummed when he bit my lip gently before moving to the column of my neck. My hand tangled in his short blond hair as his teased under the hem of my shirt and his teeth nipped at the sensitive skin below my earlobe.

"Harry," he breathed in my ear. I shivered at the sound of it rolling off his tongue. No one had ever made my name sound so sensual. I felt myself blush from my ears and I opened my eyes to look at him. He smiled at me and began pulling my shirt over my head. I lifted my arms to help him and soon as it was off he attacked my mouth again. I rather liked the feel of his silky shirt against my skin, but suddenly I wanted to feel _him_. I began unbuttoning his shirt and he hummed in approval. Inch after inch of his flawless fair skin was exposed and I rubbed my hand across the small patch of light blond hair on his chest before pushing the blue material off his shoulders. He broke the kiss and stepped back to remove his shirt the rest of the way before unlatching his black leather belt and beginning to pull his pants off. I stopped him.

"No, pleased let me."

He looked surprised but he removed his hands. I sank to my knees and began to gently pull the smooth fabric down. I caressed and kissed the new skin revealed to me as the pants rolled up. They reached his ankle too soon and I tapped his foot to get him to lift it and removed the one leg before giving the remaining one the same treatment. Draco was breathing hard by the time I was finished, his white y-fronts doing nothing to hide the bulge that had begun to form. I could feel my own pressing against the confines of my jeans and I whimpered softly. Draco pulled me to my feet and led me to the large bed in the center of the room. I sat and Draco wedged himself between my legs. His chest was perfectly level with my mouth and I licked my lips. Draco pushed me down lightly on the bed and proceeded to unbutton and unzip my jeans before practically ripping them off of my body, along with my briefs. I sighed at the sudden relief of pressure on my prick and blushed again when I remembered Draco wasn't the only who could see me. Looking down, I could see Draco smiling at me from between my legs. I smiled back shyly. There was something about the way his lips curled up that made it look like he was always up to something and in this position, it sent a shiver of anticipation through me. Without warning he licked a stripe up my cock before taking the head into his mouth and sucking lightly, his tongue dipping into the slit every so often. I bit my cheek to keep from moaning, but I couldn't help the whimpers that escaped me.

Draco let his mouth pop free and said with that devilish smirk, "Come on now, Harry, you can make better noises than that. Let me hear you." With that he slid my entire length into his mouth in one movement, taking me down to the root and hollowing his cheeks and sucking. My eyes rolled back as I let the strangled noises I had tried to hold back out. Unconsciously, I grasped the sheets and pulled them tightly into my fists as Draco began to slowly move his head up, his mouth a vacuum on my hard prick. When he reached the head, he swirled his tongue around it before heading back down my length. I watched my cock slowly disappear into his wet heat and it was the single most erotic thing I had ever seen. He didn't stop his downward decent until my cock bumped the back of his throat.

"D-Draco, stop… if you don't, I can't…" I panted, my eyes rolling back into my head.

He pulled off and slid on top of me, his arched back reminding me very much of a cat as it stretches. He kissed me roughly, sloppily, his hand running through my messy hair. When he pulled back I tried to follow, sucking on his tongue. He moaned a bit at that and a rush went through me and straight to my cock when I heard it. Without a thought, I reached down and groped the bulge in his underwear. Draco panted into my mouth and it made my confidence rise to know I wasn't the only one enjoying this. Suddenly, I wanted him to _really_ enjoy himself. I wanted to hear those moans and pants and know that I was the one causing them. Me, and my body, and nothing else. Draco seemed to have other ideas. He reached into the drawer beside the bed and pulled out the condoms and lube. He kissed his way down my chest, over my nipples, taking time to suck and nibble each one before moving on and biting my hipbone. My skin tingled in the wake of the sensations given by his lips, tongue, and teeth. I heard a _pop_ and looked back down to see Draco had opened the bottle of lube and was pouring it on his fingers. I stilled a little at that. I mean, I knew what came next but at the same time I was unsure. A million thoughts raced through my head and I felt the familiar sense of panic rising in my chest.

Draco must have sensed that something was wrong because he came up to kiss my ear, turning his face into my neck so he could whisper, "It's okay, you can do this. You can tell me to stop if it's too much. I don't want to hurt you in any way, I promise." He continued to whisper those last two words as he made his way back down my body. He grabbed my legs gently and lifted them onto his shoulders. I whimpered at the feeling so vulnerable, so open in front of someone. Draco circled a finger around my entrance while kissing my thigh to distract me. After a while I began to relax. Draco then began to press a finger to my hole, hard enough to be insistent but not enough to breach. I waited for him to push just enough to slip inside but he didn't. Several more times of his teasing, I had had enough.

"Draco, _please_!" I cried. He complied.

I felt the pressure again, but this time he didn't stop. He kept pressing until the muscles relaxed enough for the tip of his finger to slide past. At first it didn't feel any different, but as his finger glided deeper I could feel the resistance my body had against the foreign object trying to make its way inside of me. When Draco pulled it out ever so slight, my muscles seemed suctioned to it.

"Shit, you're tight," Draco said through gritted teeth.

I flushed in embarrassment and turned my face away from him and, unknowingly, toward the camera. "Don't say things like that!" I said, lifting my arms to cover my scarlet face.

He smiled at me and kissed my thigh again and settled into a slow rhythm, pushing and curling his finger inside me until I was panting and a second finger slipped in with the first. All of a sudden, I felt his fingers brush something inside me and a spark of electricity shot up my spine and I gasped and arched off the bed. I couldn't think about it because Draco started scissoring his fingers. Unfortunately, he had to pull them out after a while so he could slick up a third which broke my spell and also concerned me slightly. He still had his briefs on so I couldn't see his size. he was but it seemed like he had spent a lot of time on stretching me. How big was he exactly? Judging from the size of his bulge, the only answer I could come up with was incredibly. Lost in my thoughts, I was startled when Draco reached back to my entrance and plunged in with all three fingers. I gasped and reached for him. He leaned down so I could grasp his shoulders and I clutched at the flesh under my hands, scrambling to find purchase, my nails scraping and making his pale skin flush with angry red lines.

"Seriously, _how can you be so tight?!"_ He said again. Then, it seemed something dawned on him and he stopped. He stared at me with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"Wh-what? What is it?"

"Stop the cameras!" I heard myself cry, "stop them now!"

I removed my fingers and pushed Harry's legs gently from my shoulders, which burned with the scratches he'd made when I surprised him. Harry looked at me, eyes glazed from the previous pleasure but clearing and displaying his obvious confusion at the quick change of situation. I ran a hand, still sticky with lubricant, through my platinum locks as I heard scrambling at the door. My manager burst in, along with the owner of the establishment - Dan? Doug? Something like that – both obviously trying to control their displeasure.

"What's going on Draco? What do you need?"

"Did you by chance include a portion for previous experience on Mr. Potter's application form?"

My manager looked at the owner expectantly. "Don?"

Don looked nervous. "We did, but Mr. Potter left it blank."

"Is there a problem, Draco? Why'd we stop? Please tell me what's going on," Harry said from the bed. He was wrapped in a sheet, having covered himself when everyone else had entered, further increasing my doubt.

"Harry, did you see that part of the application?"

Harry was quiet for a moment. "Yes," he said finally. "Why? Does it matter? I don't have any experience in porn, so I thought-"

"You don't have any experience at all, do you?" I interrupted.

Everyone looked at me. Harry's eyes widened.

"Are you trying to say," my manager said, "that Mr. Potter is a… virgin?"

Harry picked at the fuzz on the sheet enveloping him, clearly embarrassed and ashamed. _Why would he want this to be his first time? And why didn't he tell anyone?_ I thought. _Why didn't he tell me? Was he embarrassed about it? Did he not trust me?_ I shook my head. None of that mattered anymore, I couldn't do it with a virgin. I refused. Besides, he deserved better than this for his first time. He deserved it to be mind-blowing and safe and comforting. He deserved it to be with someone who loved him. I wouldn't be the one to take that from him.

"It doesn't matter," I said. I turned to Harry who looked up at me in confusion and despair. "I'm sorry, Harry but I'm not sure I can go through with this. I think it's best that you go."

"What? No, I can't go!" Harry exclaimed. "I need to do this. You don't understand. I'm sorry for not saying anything before, but please… please don't go. Please don't leave." The ending came off choked and desperate. It struck me to the core and I couldn't say a word. I wanted to comfort him and tell him it wasn't his fault. It was me. I couldn't allow him to do this to himself. Instead, I grabbed my pants from the floor and scrambled to put them on. I grabbed my shirt and motioned for my manager.

"Let's go."


	3. Chapter 3

I spent the next two weeks in a state of depression. Even working two jobs, I had no hope of keeping up with bills and student loans. I couldn't pay for the new semester which meant I would have to put my degree on hold for who knew how long. I couldn't believe things had gotten to this point! I cursed myself for not paying attention to opportunities I had in high school. Scholarships would have taken me a long way through my Master's program, but I hadn't had the foresight to understand that and apply myself. I was more concerned with simply making it through in one piece.

Rain was pounding down onto the store when I clocked into the coffee shop at 4:45 am and everything was dark and ominous. The place seemed smaller than it had when I started there 8 months ago. The lights were off and the wooden chairs were stacked upside down on the tables. The bakery was empty and all was quiet, no electronics buzzing and humming in the background. I sighed, the sound enormous in the silence and echoing slightly in the room. My footsteps had the same effect as I made my way slowly to the front desk to turn on the coffee machines and the register. I went to the back room to flip on the lights and grab the breakfast sandwiches out of the freezer and open the bagel packages. I brought them to the front and stocked the bins before grabbing my apron to start on the baked goods. It was relaxing to work alone in the mornings like this. It gave me a break from the chaos that was everyday life and allowed me to focus solely on the task at hand without interruption or worry. It had been my ritual since I was promoted to shift manager. Most of the other workers dreaded the opening shift but I reveled in the freedom that hour before I unlocked the doors for the general public granted me. It was a wondrous thing to watch the shop come alive every morning under my hands and it gave me an odd sort of satisfaction when I left in the afternoons to see the supplies in need of restocking. The Magician's Café wasn't the most popular coffee shop, but it held a rustic, homey appeal that kept customers coming. Students came to have a hot drink while they studied and the neighborhood residence loved to support the college kids who worked the shop. In the mornings, there was nothing but rushing patrons all with someplace to be and appointments and jobs to get to. In the afternoons, friends met one another and reminisced, laughing loudly over steaming cups of chai lattes or espressos. The evenings were quieter, more subdued with the bubble of hushed conversation in the chairs next to the lit fireplace or at the tables over a friendly game of scrabble. It was my favorite place to be, no matter what time of day.

After setting the chairs upright by their respective tables and washing everything down, I pulled a fresh batch of blueberry scones from the oven and set to making myself my morning cuppa to enjoy while they cooled. I walked to unlock the front doors and stopped short when I saw a figure standing in the downpour through the large window. The figure, a man in a light, knee-length navy pea coat, the collar turned up against the wind and rain with black slacks underneath, had shockingly blond hair. He was trim and tall and when my eyes caught his I was startled. It was Draco Malfoy. He smirked, one side of his lips curling up higher than the other in a way that made it the most alluring thing I had ever seen, even if his soaking hair shattered the illusion of his magnificence. I gulped as I unlocked and opened the door to let him in. He stepped through the thresh hold and glanced around in rapt fascination, his wet shoes and coat leaving a puddle of dirty water on the floor beneath him.

"I've never been to a real café before so when I found out you worked here, I simply couldn't resist the experience," he said as he inspected the dark brick walls and hardwood floor.

"How did you find out I worked here and what do you want?" I asked, frowning at him. I had hoped to never have to see him again after my embarrassment at his hands.

He must have sensed my blackening mood because he looked me in the eyes, the intensity of his gaze boring into me as if to expose every fiber of my being for his thorough examination. "I needed to speak with you," was all he said.

I wanted to be defensive. I didn't want to talk with him about anything. What I wanted to do was throw him out of my shop and into the pouring rain, but instead I sighed. He had made the effort to come to me in bad weather and that at least deserved a hot drink.

"Come on then. Let me make you something and we can chat. The morning rush won't start for another hour at least."

"One tall, white chocolate turtle mocha with almond milk, extra whip, and two shots of espresso," I said as I set Draco's drink on the table. Someone had a sweet tooth and extravagant taste, but that didn't exactly surprise me. I slid into the seat across from him. "You do realize that this is the most annoying drink anyone could ever order, don't you?"

He had the decency to look taken aback. "Really? It sounds so simple though."

"It sounds like a magic potion."

"Well, this is the Magician's Café, isn't it?"

I laughed a little at that which made him smile. "I suppose it is."

We sat in awkward silence for a time, Draco sipping his coffee while I fiddled with my name tag. He seemed nervous to broach whatever subject he'd come to discuss which was a bit out of character from what I'd seen of him. Draco was the insanely self-assured and confident type and I'm sure he would have no problems talking to someone about any number of tricky topics with ease and tact.

"About the other week," he began, "I didn't mean to call you out so harshly. In the moment, it seemed like the only way to get my point across and reflecting on that, I can see now that it was not the most appropriate way of handling your situation."

I stared at him and without thinking said, "No shit."

He winced slightly. "I sincerely apologize if I have caused you any distress or embarrassment by my actions."

I sighed and looked down at my hands. "Look… I don't think your intentions were wrong. You were trying to be nice, even if you went about it the wrong way." He nodded and opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off and continued. "But, calling me out like that in front of everyone was embarrassing and rude. You made a scene and I don't appreciate personal information like that being handled less than delicately the way you did."

That wasn't quite all. I had never really cared who knew about my non-existent sex life, but there was something about the situation and Draco's reaction that made something under my skin burn with shame. The way he had looked at me, right before he pulled his fingers out of my arse I might add, was one of incrimination. It was almost like disgust came after the realization and that's what made me upset. Having worked that out, I took a deep breath. There really wasn't anything to lose. "Plus, I was really offended by the way you left me. Would it really be so bad to fuck a virgin?"

At that moment, the chime above the door jingled. We both looked over to see a woman in a long leopard print skirt and a black coat hurrying inside the store. I forced a smile and stood up to move behind the counter to take her order. I took a few extra seconds while making her coffee (medium, regular with a splash of whole milk and five sugars), to calm my shaking hands. There was no possible way I wanted an answer to the question I had just asked Draco and I felt foolish for opening my big mouth and causing unnecessary trouble for both of us. I thanked the woman for stopping by and she gave me her change as a tip. Too soon I found myself without an excuse for not returning to the table to finish the awkward but unavoidable conversation.

I had barely seated myself before Draco started upon me angrily. "I never said there was anything wrong with you being a virgin, but surely you can see why it might be problematic for me given my line of work. I didn't want you to have regrets about your first time being without emotion and affection and end up hating yourself for it."

Something inside me snapped at his excuse and I found my anger boiling inside my veins. "Oh, so now you're protecting my purity? What do you think you are, some sort of knight in shining armor? I wasn't a damned damsel in distress, I didn't need your rescuing!"

My statements only served to make him angrier. "You were naïve about the entire situation and I didn't want you reading into anything and becoming attached to me."

"I knew exactly what I was getting myself into! And that doesn't sound like you were trying to help me, it sounds you just wanted to protect yourself. Like hell would I get attached to an arse like you!"

He sighed heavily and hung his head in his hands as I crossed mine against my chest to keep from making wild gestures. "Just… with what I do, sex means nothing. There's no feelings, no emotions for the other person, only some primal objectification. We use each other for other people's benefit; people we don't even know, people who are as emotionless about us as we are about each other. I didn't want you losing something besides your virginity through that. That is to say, even though I sincerely wanted to fuck you senseless, I owed it to you to allow you to have something a little more meaningful than just a good buggering. That's all I meant to do."

I sat there, shocked. I hadn't expected that kind of response and his words touched me. I had a feeling it had more to do with something in his past than he was letting on, but it struck me just the same. To be plain, I hadn't thought about my actions besides knowing porn meant sex. I hadn't stopped to consider what that might do to me or how it might make me feel afterwards. Draco had been worried about my wellbeing and protected me the only way he knew how to at that moment; by rejecting me completely. That method had hurt me, but it had essentially ensured that I wouldn't try shooting porn again until I no longer had what I thought he had considered to be an unattractive affliction. A rush of gratitude went through me and I chuckled as the angry air between us dissipated.

"You could have just said that."

He looked up at me and smiled a bit sadly. "I didn't know how to say it at the time, I'm sorry." We sat there for a while longer in silence. "Man, this is shit," he said, getting up suddenly and going to the door.

"Wai-" I stammered, but he was already outside, the door banging shut behind him. I sat there, stunned. What the hell had just happened?

I felt bad leaving Harry sitting there like that, but I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to clear my head and calm down. My reasons sounded like excuses to my own ear and I felt stupid saying them out loud but Harry seemed to understand their meaning. I was surprised he'd even decided to listen to me, although his spitfire nature didn't hesitate to contradict me and convey his disbelief and hurt. I wasn't used to people saying anything against me, usually my charm took care of everything and my general sexual nature was a bit hard to ignore, yet he had ignored it or hadn't even been aware of it and he certainly had no qualms about calling me out for my idiotic behavior. This irritated and intrigued me in equal measures. There was something about his innocent nature that made me want to protect him and make him come apart. The intensity of those feelings scared me to no end and I knew I couldn't be around him. And yet… I couldn't leave him alone.

That's how I found myself shivering in the chill morning air outside The Magician's Café once again a few days later. I breathed into my hands, which were covered by designer leather gloves that were specifically engineered to look elegant and be useless against the cold. My ears and nose were red and freezing because I hadn't found a scarf that went well with my shirt and hats ruined my perfectly sculpted hair so I never wore them. I made it a point to always look my best and today especially I wanted to look immaculate. I took deep breaths which burned my lungs because of the temperature and when I released them, a stream of steam escaped my lips. I never felt nervous. I had left that emotion behind years ago, but now I felt a churning in my stomach that felt somewhere between the cliché butterflies or nausea.

I didn't know how I would approach Harry. I peered at him through the large front window. He was wearing the same apron donned a few days before when I had come in, and he was rushing about behind the front counter, taking orders and then running off to the machine to fulfill them or reaching into the bakery display to grab a pastry or a scone. Everything seemed hectic but he looked at peace and happy. He was a smooth-running machine, facing everyone with a brilliant smile and a 'good morning'. He laughed at something an older patron said and I felt a tightening in my chest. The man had to be 40 at least, but he was tall and had a good physic. He leaned onto the counter and spoke again as he handed him a bill, this time making Harry blush a deep shade of scarlet, the color reaching the tips of his ear and crawling down his slender neck. I felt the rage boil inside me and it gave me the courage I needed to step through the door. The bell above me chimed, announcing my arrival and Harry looked away from the man and glanced at the door before going completely still. The man turned around to look at what had spooked him and I felt a bit of confidence at having successfully interrupted his flirtations. I held my head high and put on my best smirk as I made my way to the counter. Harry said nothing as he watched me approach, but the older man raised an eyebrow in a silent challenge. Despite my earlier burst of confidence, I took another deep breath before sticking out my hand to Harry, who stared at it before looking back up to my face in obvious confusion.

"Hello, my name is Draco Malfoy and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance," I said. I tried to smile brilliantly but it came off rather shy.

Harry smiled and took my hand. "The pleasure is all mine, Draco. I'm Harry." He looked me up and down and smirked and I felt my skin tingle. It was the kind of smirk that would have gotten any man into a number of compromising positions with him and he wasn't even aware of his appeal. "You look like the kind of guy who wants something special. How about a tall white chocolate turtle mocha with almond milk, extra whip, and two shots of espresso? That sound fancy enough for your taste?"

I laughed. "Actually, I'd like to try something new, something a little easier to craft. But I've never been here before and I'm not sure what to order. Care to give any suggestions?" I had felt a bit bad after he told me that my usual drink was a pain to make, so I planned on getting something simpler. The trouble was, I knew nothing about coffee.

Harry seemed to realize and softened, saying "How about a caramel macchiato with almond milk? It has espresso and while it's usually pretty strong and not sweet, the shot of caramel gives it good flavor, especially when combined with a splash of sweetened almond milk."

I hesitated. I was never good about trying new things, especially when it ruined my routines, but I trusted Harry. He did do this for a living after all. "Why not? That sounds good."

He smiled and rang me up. The older gentleman had gone to sit at a table, leaving Harry alone for now. When Harry gave me my receipt, I handed him a small piece of folded paper. He took it and, after giving him another smile, I took my coffee and was gone.


End file.
